Device for protecting and forcing plants.



F. C. LORENCE DEVICE FOR PROTECTING AND FORCINQPLANTS.

APPLICATIONWILED JUNE 5. 1917- Patented Feb. 26, 1918.

WITNESSES FRANK C. LORENCE, OF LARSON, NORTH DAKOTA.

'DEVICE FOR PROTECTING AND FORCING PLANTS.

memes.

. Specification of Letters Patent. Patentg fll Feb, 26, 191%,

Application filed June 5, 1917. Serial No. 172,984.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK (l. LORENCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Larson, in the county of Burke and State of North Dakota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Devices for Protect- .ing' and Forcing Plants, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for protecting and forcing plants and it has for its object to produce a simple and improved device of this class which will be inexpensive in construction, efiicient in use and which may be readily knocked down or taken apart for convenience in shipment and storage.

A further object of the invention is to produce a device of this class including side members, a back member and a front member, the construction being such that back and front members of different width may be used in connection with the side members, the latter being standardized.

A further object of the invention is to produce a device of this class which includes a transparent front member that will admit the rays of the sun, the device being so li ht as to be easily moved about to the most advantageous position.

With these and other ends in view which will-readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

in the accompanying drawing has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device .con'structed in accordance with the invention. r i Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the clip or clamp used in connection with the invention.

Corresponding parts in the several figures the resilient clamp of the drawing may be denoted by like charactors of reference.

The improved plant protector comprises in its makeup two side walls or side members'15, a back member 16 and a front member 17, the latter being made of transparent material, preferably glass. The side walls 15, as well as the back member 16, are usually made of wood although other material such as indurated fiber may be substituted in the manufacture of either or all of said members. The side walls 15 are of triangular shape, each being bounded by the base 18, the rear edge 19 and the front edge 20. Each side member is provided adjacent to the back edges 19 with a dove-tailed groove 21'running parallel to said back edge, and each side member is provided adjacent to the front edge 20 with a groove 22. The back member 16 is provided with dove-tailed tongues 23 at the side edges thereof, said tongues engaging the dove-tailed grooves 21 in the side members which latter will thus be assembled together. The front member 17, consisting of a pane of glass of suitable dimensions, will be supported in the grooves 22 adjacent to the front edges of the side members, and will be secured in position by a special clip or clamp 24, made of resilient wire, said clamp being provided at the ends thereof with downturned arms 25, each having a terminal hook or prong 26 adapted to engage the outer faces of the side members as clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 4. The front edges of the side members will thus be prevented from expanding and the glass will be held in position with sufficient security, but in a manner which will not interfere with its being slid or moved in an upward direction. when it shall be desired to ventilate the interior of the device. It will be observed that the glass will be held not only by the clamping action of the side memhere 15 but also by direct engagement with 2 1, the intermediate portion of which will be bent or arched in a downward direction in engagement with the top-most face of the glass as will be seen most clearly in Figs. 1 and 4c of the drawings. 'It is obvious that in connection with the side members 15 of a standard size, back and front members 16, 17 of different widths may be used, thus enabling the side walls to be utilized in the construction of protectors of different size and capacity.

shipping or storing the same and which,

when assembled, may be readily placed on the ground over the plant that is to be protected "and forced, the transparent front 'i'nember being exposed toward the sun or otherwise, according to circumstances and 'thene'eds of the plant.

Having thus described the invention, what s claimed as new '1s:

1. A plant protectlng and forcing devlce Icomprising triangular side members each having a dove-tailed groove adjacent to its back edge and a groove ad acent to its vfront edge, in combination with a back member having dove-tailed tongues engaglng the member dove-tailed grooves, and a transparent front member adjustably supported in the grooves adjacent to the front edges of the side members, and a wire clamp extending across the front member in engagement therewith to retain it in adjusted position and having downturned. arms provided with terminal prongs engaging the side members.

2. In a plant protecting and forcing device, a pair of side members having inclined front edges and longitudinal grooves adjacent thereto and a transparent front adjustably supported in said grooves, in combination with a resilient clamp having down-turned arms provided with terminal prongs engaging the side members, said clamp being intermediately arched downwardly in engagement with the transparent iront member.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FRANK C. LORENGE.

Copies Hi! this pate'n-t'ma-y be obtained 'for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washingtom-D. O. 

